1. Field: The invention is in the field of engines for converting heat, particularly waste heat or solar heat, into rotary motion.
2. State of the Art: There are currently many types of turbines which are powered by heated fluids such as heated air or steam. These engines, however, require very hot fluids and are designed to be used with specific heat sources which produce the high temperature fluids necessary. For example, the steam turbines used to generate electricity are used in conjunction with coal or natural gas boilers which produce the steam, usually superheated, to power the turbine. Atomic reactors are also used to create heated fluid to power turbines. With the high heat content of the fluid used for the turbine, the fluid discharged from the turbine is still very hot. This fluid is usually recirculated, but is cooled before reuse. This cooling procedure wastes much of the heat that was initially put into the fluid. When steam is used in a turbine, the steam from the turbine is usually condensed prior to the water being again heated to produce more steam. The heat given off during condensation is usually wasted.
There is need for an engine which can operate to convert relatively low temperatures into useable energy and make use of the wasted heat from other sources to generate electricity or do other work.